For a commercial real estate business to distinguish itself from the breadth of the industry, the company must be able to offer a full gamut of services to clients. Latitude Commercial matches that, with expertise as well, leveraging leading-edge industry resources that set their agents apart.
Latitude Commercial maintains a distinction in the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) and their agents are Certified Commercial Investment Members (CCIM) or are in the process of becoming one. These hard-earned designations go a long way in ensuring a client is receiving the most experienced guidance possible, and they keep Latitude Commercial at the forefront of the industry.
Aaron McDermott, CCIM, co-founder and president of Latitude Commercial, and Brett McDermott, co-founder and vice president, unpacked the ways the designations elevate their service to clients and the community.
“In order to get the CCIM designation, you are required to take four commercial real estate-focused core courses and elective courses that are a week long. You also must meet the qualifying experience workload requirements, and pass a comprehensive exam,” Aaron said. “It takes a lot of self-discipline to want to dedicate the time and financial resources on something that is not required in the industry.”
Though not required, the CCIM designation demonstrates an undeniable leg up for agents.
“For the agent, it is more about being an expert in the business,” Aaron said. “It teaches you how to analyze investments, markets, and evaluate the macro economic side of the business. All this training makes for a more informed agent so our customer is working with someone who is more of a consultant than a salesperson.”
Being involved in the ICSC makes for its own edge in the industry.
“ICSC keeps us in front of and in talks with all of the national retailers on a daily basis,” Brett said. “They have an annual convention in Las Vegas in May, which we attend to meet with thousands of different retailers.”
“We have access to national contacts, brokers, and cutting edge technology in our business,” Aaron added. “Our firm is known throughout Chicago as one of the experts in Northwest Indiana. We get referrals from all over the United States from brokers looking for local agents. We interact with the account reps for nearly every national retailer through our ICSC contacts.”
With all the advantages these distinctions provide, Latitude Commercial has skyrocketed its name recognition by offering an array of services backed by the expertise of agents. Newest to the company and making headway is the property management sector.
“The division utilizes different high-end platforms that help us engage with tenants on a regular basis, and help us with reporting back to ownership,” Brett said.
Here’s an in-depth glance at each level of service in Latitude Commercial.
Property Management
Latitude Commercial offers both full-service property management and partial property management, depending on client needs. Latitude Commercial manages retail, office, industrial, medical, and flex-use spaces. Implementing a management strategy designed uniquely for the investment goals of the real estate assets for each individual owner, the Latitude team treats each property as if it were their own but holds the customer’s goals close. With advantages such as Cloud-based property management software that leaves updates and transactions at tenants' fingertips, to weekly inspections and reports, the team offers the full spectrum of property management expertise.
Retail Group
A market leader in the representation of retail tenants for the purposes of site selection, disposition, and market positioning, Latitude Commercial’s Retail Services division works hard to create a strategic plan for store development. The team takes pride in their aggressive but fiscally-responsible approach to projects. Whether they’re new store rollouts, subleases, land sales, facility sales, relocations, sale-leasebacks, or bankruptcy workout and receivership, the Latitude team provides each client with the breadth of skills and expertise necessary to achieve the desired objective. Using a detail-driven, complete-service approach, they also use graphics, statistics, and innovative software including aerials, demographics, and mapping to assist clients from the committee process to the completion of lease transactions. The locations secured for retail clients continuously exceed expectations, thanks to an expert team of experienced professionals.
Office Group
Every need in this category is diverse, and Latitude Commercial has the expertise to tackle each one. From Chicago to North Central Indiana, office specialists at Latitude Commercial follow the market and examine every opportunity. Latitude office property experts provide a full range of transaction expertise including single building and portfolio acquisitions, dispositions, leases, subleases, lease renewals, lease expansions, build-to-suits, sale/leasebacks, and tax-free exchanges. Clients range from institutions with multiple locations to local mom and pop businesses.
Industrial Group
Industrial space occupiers form the core of any economy. Many factors come with the sale, purchase, or lease of industrial property, be it supply chain logistics, environmental concerns, rail and highway access, building design features, or energy usage. Latitude Commercial leverages its regional network and relationships to find the right buyer for the property in the shortest amount of time. This team combines the market knowledge and national resources of a large firm with regional expertise and personal attention. Latitude Commercial has extensive experience working with municipalities, economic development agencies, LEED certification, architectural and construction trades, material handling vendors, due diligence consultants, and financial institutions.
Land Group
Whether a client wants to develop land they already own, buy new land to develop, or sell land, Latitude Commercial’s land service professionals have the skillset to make it happen. With an invested understanding of the market and a wealth of connections, the Latitude land service team is always prepared to advise clients with information that will positively affect their investment, such as market trends, zoning laws, financial analysis, development and investment opportunities, and population shifts.
Investment Group
Latitude Commercial has a team of experts with real-world leasing and sales experience to help determine the right price to sell or purchase investment properties. Disciplines include, but are not limited to, retail, office, industrial, multi-family, senior housing, hospitality, and healthcare. Latitude Commercial works with institutional and private owners, operators, and investors in the investment sales arena. No matter what the investor is looking for, Latitude Commercial can help investors achieve their goals through a series of careful questions, analyses, and research-driven solutions.
Define your needs, seek expertise, and get ready to make your big commercial move. Explore every comprehensive service Latitude Commercial offers on their website.
